Send a letter - Houston calligraphy engraver

Oftentimes these days if I am writing, it is actually engraving in glass, wine bottles, fragrance bottles, spirit bottles, mirrors etc. However, this is how it all started. I simply wanted my written correspondence on paper with friends & family to be beautiful. I began to take calligraphy & Spencerian classes around the country like an obsessive along with becoming curious about engraving and here we are….. a full-grown calligraphy & engraving business.

It is so easy to fire off a text, a tweet or an Instagram post. The recipient reads it and understands the message as it is conveyed. However when you send an actual handwritten letter, there is a shift in the perception of the recipient. That person understands that time was set aside specifically for them to convey this message. It doesn’t have to be written in calligraphy for the recipient to love it.

Are my letters perfect? ABSOLUTELY NOT. I am not nor have I ever been that type of penman. I’m a practical penman and there are no calligraphy & lettering police. However, I do have standards and try to observe them. At the end of the day though, it’s not about the technicality of the lettering. It is about the feeling that you evoke in the reader. THAT is paramount.

I have a neighbor who has become a dear friend. He has no cell phone, let alone a smartphone. All of our correspondence is outside as neighbors, via his landline telephone or (yes, you guessed it) mail. Actual letters in the mail. He will send a note simply to tell me about someone he met while walking or the happenings of his day. There is something nostalgically beautiful about that that I absolutely adore.

Next time that you want to say hello to a friend, take the time to write a letter. Obviously not everyday, but just try it. They will love you for it. Cheers!

Belle Glos Wine Bottle Engravers in Houston

Many people that enjoy wine have journeyed down the rabbit hole. My journey started nearly 20 years ago with the big, jammy fruit-forward wine of Australia as they were easily approachable. Over time, I was introduced to more subtle varietals such as pinot noir. After I stopped attempting to make a wine what I wanted it to be and began appreciating them for what they were in their diversity and the beauty that lies in that, pinot noir became my varietal of choice. The French expression of pinot was subtle and elegant and devastatingly beautiful. Burgundy became my preference. On that journey though, I was introduced to Belle Glos. The Californian expression of this gorgeous grape was beautiful. Belle Glos specializes in cultivating single vineyard pinot noir. I am delighted to say that I enjoyed many evenings enhanced by the pleasure of Belle Glos wine.

This bottle was brought to me by a client that receives shipments from the winery and has a passion for the beautiful pinot noir grape as well. She was gracious enough to share this love with a dear friend for her 60th birthday. Cheers!

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Mirror Etching - Houston Engravers

It’s funny how everything comes full circle. When I used to work in weddings years ago, I was one of the first calligraphers in Houston to write calligraphy on mirrors. It started out as seating charts for weddings, then little mirrors as reception place cards. Then my engraving business took over and I slowly transitioned out of weddings and by default, large mirrors as well. Every now and then when I worked for a cosmetic company such as Charlotte Tilbury, Chanel or Shiseido, I would engrave a makeup compact mirror onsite during an event, but that was it. Then right in the middle of the pandemic, a client in California saw my “Keep your head, heels and standards high” mirror online. That mirror was executed in white acrylic paint in 2017.. She wanted the quote in my lettering style but with a slight difference. She wanted it engraved instead of calligraphy with paint. My response: I’ve never done that at that size…let’s do it! Glass is glass. Here’s the result!

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